Asurion Atlanta Development Center by Gresham, Smith and Partners

By Chris Olson
Photography by Brian Robbins

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Each pod has a glass entryway that allows those outside to see the working mode of occupants. A bold palette of oranges, reds, greens, yellows and magentas is used in the lobby and throughout the space.
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/Portals/3/images/magazine/2013/0513/I_0513_Web_Also_Asurion_2.jpg

Each pod has a glass entryway that allows those outside to see the working mode of occupants. A bold palette of oranges, reds, greens, yellows and magentas is used in the lobby and throughout the space.
View larger

The cafeteria’s tiered seating can be rearranged for presentation activities. Each pod features stools and benches, offering a change of scenery for impromptu discussions.
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/Portals/3/images/magazine/2013/0513/I_0513_Web_Also_Asurion_5.jpg

The cafeteria’s tiered seating can be rearranged for presentation activities. Each pod features stools and benches, offering a change of scenery for impromptu discussions.
View larger

The design of the Atlanta Development Center (ADC) is as neat as peas in a pod—in fact, nine pods with 11 persons in each.

Located in an existing building in Atlanta’s Buckhead neighborhood, the 15,000-square-foot office holds technical
teams of software developers for Nashville-based Asurion. Programmers, product managers and testers are strategically deployed across the pods, each of which functions as a creative workspace, combining collaborative and head-down areas.

A typical pod houses up to three test engineers, three software engineers, a technical analyst, a technical writer, a project manager and a team lead. The command pod houses the general manager, the office/facilities manager, the intake & analytics manager, and the HR recruiter. Four of the desks in the command pod are touchdowns, complete with laptop, docking station, monitor and computer accessories.

Each pod consists of three working
areas, and is intended to be its own unique environment where employees work in tandem but use social cues to know when focus time or collaborative time is more appropriate. Benches and stools provide space for casual interaction, while more formal engagement takes place at a meeting table. Extensive glass walls and doors allow others to see the mode of work currently taking place within each pod.

The design allows for the office to expand as more employees are added. Individual pods can be built out as needed to extend the space gradually in any of four directions.

In the corridors, exposed ceilings and shining concrete floors evoke a loft-style space. Throughout the facility,
a bright palette of oranges, reds, greens, yellows and magentas keeps the design simple but energetic.